Notes
¹ Diagram. Human trauma and land trama intertwined. 
² Photo series. Observing the passing of food back to the earth. 
³The Artist: With every new medium there is an opportunity.
The artist sees food waste as a material for creating new artbased land forms. These forms will shift and change as more material is added. Vanity does not escape hard work. The artist leverages their work for social clout.
⁴The Mourner: Recognizing all that we have lost in the urban
world, this approach takes ritualistic to heart. They bury food waste weekly, fully embodying the process while reflecting on their role in greater systems. The weekly ritual is revealed in successive rows upon rows of small grave-like mounds.
⁵The Gardener: This approach proposes what to many of us is
the most obvious answer to having an excess of compostable material on hand: they take a horticultural approach and use their food waste to grow new food.
⁶The Avoider: At first, the typical homeowner resorts to tactics which attempt to tuck waste out of view from the neighbours watchful eye. This adaptation is the least labour-intensive method. It remarks upon the tension between what we consume and what we discard; we aim to avoid and forget.
7,8 Perspectives. A block and a yard. Concept and illustration: Kendra Scanlon and Christen Oakes
2019

We exist in an epoch orchestrated by capitalism, which is not only a globally dominant economic system, but also an organizational framework that defines our relationships to self and nature (Moore & Patel, 2017). This epoch, called the Capitalocene, assumes the right and ability of humans to alter, control, access, and hold dominion over that which is non-human. It also perpetuates the alienation of humans from the web of interconnected life while removing their reciprocal responsibilities to and with other critters.

The alienation of our species is expressed by physical, emotional, spiritual, and social trauma. We have constructed the urban landscape as a mechanism which separates us from interactions with, and an understanding of, natural processes and non-human beings. In Vancouver this is evident through the historical destruction of creeks in favour of development, a landfill that is nearing capacity, and the continued overflow of raw sewage into natural water bodies.

To address alienation of urban dwelling people from land and food systems, the policy change creates
an opportunity for ritualistic reflection on the individual’s larger role in the environment. The city recommends we dig small holes in our backyard on a weekly basis. Households will approach this task in a variety of ways. We have identified 4 archetypes that describe possible approaches to ritualizing and managing food waste.

The ways in which each household
responds to the task at hand will result in new forms across the
urban landscape.